A question of fit

I have had a lightbulb moment this morning....  

There is no such thing as the perfect pattern!  I have been sewing for many years and greatly appreciate the fact that I can still learn something new from books, DVDs, other sewers, and of corse all the great blogs in the land of tech.  Whilst munching on my thickly jam laden toast this morning, I was catching up on some blog reading and came across Sunni Standing at a Fashionable Stitch.  And there it was, exactly what I have been thinking - is there such a thing as perfect fit?

http://www.afashionablestitch.com/2013/sewing/the-myth-that-is-perfect-fit/

I will be the first to admit I am a slave to perfection when it comes to sewing and then it dawned in me, the reason I haven't been sewing anywhere near as much as I used to, is because I'm overly fussy about the fit. Yes, my 45 year old figure has changed since I was in my early twenties, yes I have to make a lot more alterations these days but hey - just get on with it woman! Are my colleagues really going to notice my waistband is half an inch too big, the hem is half an inch too long, or that I have a mild gaping at the armhole of my dress?  I doubt it.

Please read Sunni's post, if you are anything like me it will put you back on track.  THANK YOU SUNNI!

PS I will still be attending my Jacket fitting class this month, I've paid for it!

Shopping from the stash

I am in trouble, big trouble.... There is a small crack in the bedroom ceiling, I think it's nothing but Ian's blaming the weight of the fabric stored in the loft.... Needless to say he isn't happy!  So when I took Mum home today, following her stay over the Easter break, I resisted a detour to the fabric shop in Sturminster Newton, and came straight home.  That crack must be nagging away at me!

So, I went shopping in the loft instead this afternoon.  Once I got over the thought of getting up there (am I the only one who gets the colly wobbles going into lofts?) I found a lovely blue silk and wool soft tweed, with a suitable lining and enough needle cord to make a trench coat for spring. Here's a strange thing.  There wasn't one piece of fabric that I had forgotten about, or that took me by surprise - and believe me, there is an awful lot of it!

Here's a picture of a few pieces I allowed myself to bring down, some of which is being pre-shrunk as we speak.

I will be watching The Sewing Bee on BBC2 this evening. I would have loved to enter, but didn't know about it, did you?

More later!

September- a month of finishing and planning

Hello! Hope you all had a lovely summer? I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs, in between jumping up and down at the tv (Olympics), bbqing between the rain, painting, buying a bathroom and knitting. You know, just normal life. I needed a blogging break, I was getting "stressed" because I didn't post every day, didn't have great photos, and didn't have anything of any interest to say about anything other than sewing.  So I turned a corner - isn't blogging supposed to be "fun"?  I'll blog a minimum of once a month, not stress about how many hits, followers or page views I've had.  For me it has to be about good quality sewing, not chasing numbers.

I have decided that September should be the month to finish up a few projects:

1) casual shirt in a beautiful Liberty print lawn,

McCalls 6401 view D

Liberty Lawn from Sewbox (UK)

2)  2 cardigans (4 sleeves to complete!)

3)  a linen dress in a lovely plum colour with bias strips



Butterick 4443 view C (just love this pattern!)



There are a few projects I would like to tackle over the coming months, the first being a shirt for Ian and the second being a winter coat.

Vogue 1083

There was lots of discussion this summer around how many items of clothing a woman buys in a 12 month period so thought I should keep a track of what I make and end each month with a brief summary. Some months I'm on fire, others I'm just not!  I will commence from 1st October as we head truly into Autumn. Oh, and I hope to overcome my IT phobia and get to grips with my camera - I may even consider buying a new one....